Thursday, July 14, 2011

10 Ways to Not Waste Your Life

Part of being a responsible adult means not wasting things, especially your life. Here are 10 ways to not waste your life. Hope you are challenged by this list!

1. BelieveBelief is the most powerful, positive life-changer in the arsenal. Believe that you are a valued person with something to contribute, and chances are you will.

2. Know where you’re headedDr. Seuss said, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” Setting and achieving goals is necessary for purposeful change. Both short term, “I’m going to spend the evening with my child so he goes to sleep feeling loved.” and long-term, “By Christmas I’ll be able to tell my AA group and my family I’ve been sober for six-months.”

3. Identify a better reference point for successKnow that our standard for a successful life is found in serving others, being a great parent, loving our spouse. These standards are more conducive to satisfaction and success than “Beautiful, because I’m worth it”, or “He who dies with the most toys wins.”

5. Remember where your joy and value comes fromA dependence on anything external for happiness is unnecessary: If we “need” others to make us happy, or if we need achievements to feel worthy, we undermine our reason for being. The simple fact that we are loved and valued by the Creator is sufficient. Your joy comes from knowing who you are and whose you are.

6. Live in the moment“I’ll feel like I’ve achieved something when _________ happens.” “Just let me get that new ________, and I’ll be good.” This kind of thinking ensures we’ll remain dependent on “more” for satisfaction. Live in the moment. Be grateful for what we have right now. Be content in our present circumstances.

7. Defer short-term thrills in favor of long-term rewardsWe often sacrifice long-term joy, satisfaction and contentment for short-term thrills and personal pleasure. Things like sex outside of marriage, pornography, and gambling will never satisfy. What will satisfy is sex in a marital relationship, lasting and loving relationships, living a life of purpose, and hard work.

8. Always continue learningLife-long learners adopt the ongoing posture of reinvention and redemption. Learners ask questions rather than act as if they know all the answers. It’s difficult to waste your life when you are humble and open to new ideas.

9. Don’t sweat the small stuffKnowing what we value puts everything else into perspective. If we know what really matters in life, then we’re not as likely to get caught up in, or bothered by, things that don’t have a long-term or eternal impact.

10. Never do anything you wouldn’t be comfortable doing in the presence of your Maker.If in doubt about this, talk it over with God first.

Followers

Book Lists for Leaders

THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE by Rick Warren THE FIVE TEMPTATIONS OF A CEO by Patrick Lencioni THE FIVE DYSFUNCTIONS OF A TEAM by Patrick Lencioni THE FOUR OBSESSIONS OF AN EXTRAORDINARY ADMINISTRATOR by Patrick Lencioni THE THREE SIGNS OF A MISERABLE JOB by Patrick Lencioni >GETTING THINGS DONE by David Allen >WOODEN, A LIFETIME OF OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ON AND OFF THE COURT >COACH WOODEN ONE ON ONE by John Wooden and Jay Carty >WOODEN ON LEADERSHIP***** >THE ESSENTIAL WOODEN***** >YOU HAVEN’T TAUGHT UNTIL THEY HAVE LEARNED…John Wooden’s Teaching Principles & Practices by Swen Nater & Ronald Gallimore***** INCH AND MILES by Coach Wooden for young children…..Pyramid of Success >TRAINING SOCCER CHAMPIONS by Anson Dorrance >THE MAN WATCHING by Tim Crothers (Four years with Anson Dorrance) >QUIET STRENGTH by Tony Dungy THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu……Edited by Samuel Griffith (Bob Knight Favorite) >EXECUTION by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan THE LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF BILLY GRAHAM by Myra and Shelley LETTERS BY A MODERN MYSTIC by Frank C. Laubach STARTING YOUR DAY RIGHT, Devotions for Each Morning of the Year by Joyce Meyer PRAYER, A HOLY OCCUPATION by Oswald Chambers THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD by brother Lawrence MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST JOURNAL by Oswald Chambers***** GOD CALLING JOURNAL edited by A. J. Russell……….Geared to women readers THE SHACK by William P. Young…Gets to your inner being…Order @ www.theshackbook.com THE JOURNEY by Billy Graham >WHEN THE GAME IS OVER IT ALL GOES BACK IN THE BOX by John Ortberg >THE LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch…...He says it all in his last lecture >GRACE FOR THE MOMENT DAILY BIBLE by Max Lucado (Great study Bible) >GOOD TO GREAT by Jim Collins BLEACHERS by John Grisham MAKE THE BIG TIME WHERE YOU ARE by Frosty Westering (253/531-3672) FIRST THINGS FIRST by Covey, Merrill, and Merrill WHAT THEY DON’T TEACH YOU AT THE HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL by Mark McCormack TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE by Mitch Albom >THE JESUS STYLE by Gayle Dean Erwin (Great on Team Work and Servant Leadership) THE ART OF LIVING by Wilferd Peterson LEADERSHIP PRAYERS by Richard Kriegbaum THE ONLY NECESSARY THING....Living A Prayerful Life by Henri Nouwen, Edited by Wendy Wilson Greer The Crossroad Publishing Company 1001 MOTIVATION MESSAGES AND QUOTES FOR ATHLETES AND COACHES By Bruce Brown, Order at www.coacheschoiceweb.com >THE SERVANT....A Simple Story About The True Essence of Leadership by James C. Hunter (A Coach John Wooden favorite) THE ART OF LIVING…The Classic Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness by Epictetus